1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable exercise device or dumbbell or the like, and more particularly to an adjustable exercise device or dumbbell including an improved compact structure for allowing the weight members to be easily and quickly and readily and adjustably attached to or disengaged from the weight carrier or handle and for allowing the adjustable dumbbell to be easily operated by the user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical exercise devices or barbells or dumbbells comprise a handle to be grasped or held by the user, and a number of weight plates to be attached onto the ends of the handle for weight lifting or exercising purposes, or for exercising or training the upper muscle groups or the lower muscle groups of the user.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,997 to Roth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,446 to Krull, U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,093 to Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,606 to Krull, U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,674 to Krull, U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,424 to Krull, U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,931 to Liu, U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,243 to Krull, U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,536 to Liu, U.S. Pat. No. 7,223,214 to Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 7,485,077 to Chen, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,613 to Wang disclose several typical adjustable dumbbells each comprising a number of weight plates or weight members selectively or adjustably attaching or mounting onto the handle shaft or handle bar that is provided for being held or grasped by the users to train the upper muscle groups or the lower muscle groups of the user, and a latch device attached onto the handle and/or the weighted plates for selectively or adjustably mounting or securing selected or different number of the weighted plates on the ends of the handle and for exercising or training the upper muscle groups or the lower muscle groups of the user.
However, a supporting base is further required to be provided for stably supporting the weight plates or weight members in place, and the latch device is required to be moved relative to the handle or the weight plates or weight members or actuated to engage with the required or selected number of the weighted plates or weight members when the weight plates or weight members are supported on or in the supporting base, and before the handle and the weight plates or weight members may be lifted or moved away from the supporting base; i.e., the weight plates or weight members should be solidly and stably disposed and received and supported in the supporting base, and the latch device is required to be moved relative to the handle or the weight plates or weight members or actuated to engage with and to couple the required or selected number of the weighted plates or weight members to the handle before the handle and the weight plates or weight members may be lifted or moved away from the supporting base.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,731,641 to Chen discloses a further typical adjustable dumbbell comprising a series of weighted plates to be attached onto the ends of the handle, and a lock nut should be attached onto the ends of the handle for selectively or adjustably mounting or securing or anchoring the weighted plates on the ends of the handle.
However, it takes a long time to thread and unthread the lock nuts from the handle in order to attach or mount the required or selected number of the weight plates or weight members onto or from the ends of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,478 to Liang discloses a still further typical adjustable dumbbell comprising a series of weighted plates to be attached onto the ends of the handle, and to be engaged onto one another.
However, the smallest weighted plates should be attached or mounted or secured onto the ends of the handle with a threaded engagement, and it takes a long time to thread and unthread the smallest weighted plates to and from the ends of the handle, in addition, the smallest weighted plates may not be solidly and stably secured or locked or retained to the ends of the handle and may have a good chance to be disengaged from the ends of the handle inadvertently while in use, and the falling weighted plates may have a good chance to hurt the users. Furthermore, the weighted plates are only anchored or retained to each other with spring biased projections or detents or balls, and the weighted plates also may have a good chance to be disengaged from each other inadvertently while in use; i.e., the weighted plates may not be solidly and stably secured or locked or retained to the ends of the handle and/or secured or locked or retained together and may have a good chance to be disengaged from each other.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional adjustable dumbbells.